In Other News

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his government misused at least $10 billion from European Union covid funds to cover pensions and other social programs, El Mundo and other Spanish newspapers reported last week. Notably, the largest share of those funds came from Germany, which means this scandal could increase German pressure against Sánchez and possibly help bring in a more militant Spanish leader who will better fit in with the rising German-led European empire.

• The United Arab Emirates launched direct strikes against Iran during last month’s war, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The U.A.E. hasn’t publicly acknowledged the strikes. But Iran hit the U.A.E. hard in the conflict, and the U.A.E. said it reserved the right to respond to hostile acts. This follows previous rumors Qatar did the same thing.
• The ceasefire with Iran “is on massive life support where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1 percent chance of living,’” President Donald Trump stated yesterday.

European Union foreign ministers agreed to sanction Israeli settlers on Monday. The bloc has tried to do so in the past due to concerns over attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank but had been blocked by Hungary. Now Hungary has a new leader, and the bloc unanimously agreed to the sanctions. Europe often positions itself as Israel’s friend, but stories like these, connected with Bible prophecy, show its real intentions.

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Wednesday that nations in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization must reach their defense spending goals of 5 percent of gdp by 2030 instead of 2035. He said European militarization is “today’s priority” and that even 2031 “may be too late.” Poland plans to spend 4.8 percent of its gdp on defense this year. Bible prophecy says Europe will continue to militarize into an unprecedented superpower.

Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan bought crude oil from Russia, the company told Russian state media on Friday. This is the second Japanese company to buy oil from Russia since America’s war with Iran began. A company spokesperson said the purchase was made at the behest of the Japanese government. The Bible prophesies that Japan will soon become a major military ally of Russia.

North Korea’s first nuclear-armed warship is almost ready for service, state media announced on Thursday. The Choe Hyon-class destroyer reportedly completed successful tests of its missile and weapons systems recently, and the rogue nation claims to be fitting out its first nuclear missile submarine. Only six or seven other nations have naval nuclear launch capabilities, and three of them are China, India and Russia. The Bible warns that Asia’s formidable militaries will soon unite into the strongest force in human history, and North Korea’s advancements will likely contribute to its mass-destructive firepower.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front essentially broke its peace agreement with the Ethiopian government on May 5 by reinstating a government it had in place before the eruption of the 2020 Tigray War, perhaps the deadliest of the 21st century so far. That war concluded with an agreement that a Tigray government would no longer rule the region, so its reinstatement exacerbates an already tense situation, and many fear it could plunge the region back into war. The Bible prophesies that Ethiopian politics are about to experience a dramatic upheaval.

• Iran seized a Chinese-operated vessel, the Ocean Koi, Friday. China is the largest market for Iranian oil and a key military partner. Iran poking at China this way suggests that it is pushing for more support against the U.S.
• Israel has been operating a military base in Iraq to strike Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported May 9. Located in Iraq’s barren western desert, Israel apparently set up the base without the Iraqi government’s knowledge. Iraq and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.
• Iran’s offer “totally unacceptable”: United States President Donald Trump told Axios yesterday that the most recent Iranian counteroffer to end the war is “inappropriate” and more “tapping along.”

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told the Politico Brussels Playbook that the EU must get its own military. “This is the moment of the sovereignty and independence of Europe. The Americans are inviting us to that,” he said, referring to U.S. pressure on Europe during the Iran war. “We have to be free of dependence. Free of dependence means to be free of coercion, whether it comes to tariffs or the use of military threat. And free of the consequences of someone else’s decisions.” Albares has made similar calls before, but his calls are becoming more urgent after Spain denied U.S. military planes access to its air bases for the war and the U.S. threatened to exclude Spain from nato. We are witnessing the death of nato and the emergence of a European superpower.

Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s new prime minister on Saturday, ending 16 years of rule by his predecessor, Viktor Orbán. Claiming extensive corruption, he has demanded the resignations of Orbán’s appointees, including President Tamás Sulyok. Magyar has been in office for only a few days and is already showing a strongman streak. He could be one of 10 strongmen the Trumpet expects to dominate Europe.

German drone and AI start-up Helsing is in advanced stages to raise $1.2 billion in its latest funding round, which would value the company at $18 billion, the Financial Times reported Saturday. This would significantly increase the $14 billion valuation ascribed to it less than a year ago. Even more, according to the Financial Times, this fundraising round was “oversubscribed multiple times.” This shows that Germany’s defense start-up scene is attracting investor attention, which will contribute to Germany’s efforts to arm for war.

For the first time, a candidate for the Alternative für Deutschland has won a mayoral election in the east German state of Brandenburg. René Stadtkewitz took 58.4 percent of the vote in Zehdenick, a town of roughly 13,000 people just north of Berlin, on Sunday, far above the runner-up’s 28.6 percent. This win is just another sign of the far-right AfD’s popularity, a symptom of the nation’s desire for strong leadership—which it will soon have.

German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil visited Canada Friday and Saturday to deepen cooperation in raw materials, defense and artificial intelligence. Klingbeil said, “We’re looking to boost the intensity of our cooperation,” and he called Canada “an ideal partner” to cut Europe’s dependencies on world superpowers like the United States. It could also serve as the ideal partner in a trade war against the U.S. Based on anonymous sources, Bloomberg wrote on May 4 that Germany is considering weaponizing K+S, a German company in Saskatchewan. K+S owns a major potash factory, a key ingredient for fertilizers that the U.S. requires for its agriculture. To utilize the company as a geopolitical weapon against the U.S., Germany needs the cooperation of the Canadian government. Canada may believe that allying with Germany will bring safety; however, Bible prophecy reveals that Germany is building a giant trade bloc against the United States and that Canada will also fall victim to Germany’s imperialistic plans.

• What is a “ceasefire,” exactly? Yesterday, three U.S. naval vessels reported Iranian fire. The U.S. responded with what President Donald Trump called a “love tap” against three Iranian ports. Iran responded by bombarding the United Arab Emirates, an American ally. Despite all this, Trump claims the ceasefire is still “in effect” and hopes a deal can be negotiated.
• Iran can outlast the blockade for months. That is what a cia analysis reported yesterday by the Washington Post claims. One official speaking with the Post claimed Iran’s “leadership has gotten more radical, determined and increasingly confident they can outlast U.S. political will and sustain domestic repression to check any resistance.”

Yesterday, the New York Times reported that seven German intelligence officials said Germany and its neighbors fear becoming targets of bombings or other “hybrid” attacks carried out by Iranian proxy agents. Germany has allowed the U.S. to use American military bases on its soil for the war against Iran and has supported Israel with weapons exports, making Germany a particular target for Iranian retaliation. Jewish and American institutions in Germany are at particularly high risk. Four senior officials told the Times that intelligence agents and lawmakers have urged political leaders to express greater alarm. Germany is currently preparing a naval mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, which could make it an even bigger target for terrorism and possibly lead directly to a prophesied clash.

German manufacturing orders jumped 5 percent in March, the German government announced yesterday. This far exceeded the expected 1 percent growth theorized by a consensus of economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal. As German manufacturing grows, it is important to understand the historic and prophetic implications of this trend.

The Anti-Defamation League announced on Wednesday that physical assaults against Jews in the U.S. in 2025 reached a high not seen in nearly half a century. Although anti-Semitic incidents declined by 33 percent to 6,274 cases in 2025, the year saw a record-high of 203 anti-Jewish assaults, surpassing the previous year’s 196 incidents. Thirty-two of those assaults involved deadly weapons, resulting in three deaths. To understand the root cause of hatred for the Jews, read “The One Minority Society Loves to Hate.”

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo xiv at the Vatican. The meeting was meant to ease tensions over the Iran war. The pope gave Rubio an olive branch in a wooden case, calling it “the plant of peace.” In return, Rubio handed the pope a small crystal football. The American-born pope looked at the gift and simply said, “Wow, OK.” Rubio joked, “What do you get someone who has everything?” Yet underneath the levity, deep diplomatic strains still exist between America and the Vatican. Pope Leo has openly opposed President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and Middle East foreign policy. Bible prophecy says a violent clash is soon coming between America and a Vatican-led Holy Roman Empire.

At the end of April, U.S. public debt reached $31.27 trillion, surpassing the nation’s annual gross domestic product, $31.22 trillion, for the first time since World War ii. Total gross debt (including money borrowed from Social Security and other government funds) is even higher—about $39 trillion. Gross debt first surpassed gdp in 2012–2013. Experts worry that high debt means higher interest costs, higher prices for families, and less money for defense or other programs. When debt grows faster than gdp for a long time, nations go bankrupt if their leaders don’t fix the problem.

• The chance for a deal remains intact; some reports say the United States and Iran are closer to ending the war than at any time since hostilities began on February 28.
• U.S. forces suffered more damage than previously reported, the Washington Post claimed yesterday after analyzing available satellite images. It counts at least 228 structures damaged and over 400 personnel injured. These numbers exceed what the U.S. government has indicated.
• French carrier nears Hormuz: France’s Charles De Gaulle nuclear aircraft carrier and its strike group have transited the Suez Canal and entered the Red Sea for a potential Strait of Hormuz mission, President Emmanuel Macron announced yesterday. A German mine-hunter vessel is en route to join nato Mine Countermeasures Group 2 in the Mediterranean Sea for a similar purpose. Both countries have stressed that they will not intervene until the war officially ends.

The European Parliament reached a tentative agreement today that caves into Germany’s agenda for artificial intelligence despite protests from 10 other EU nations. Over the years, the European Union has instituted extensive regulations on information technology in the name of user privacy, yet this exemption for German industrial AI development shows not only that these regulations are a geopolitical tool for Europe to use (largely against the United States) but that they are subject to Europe’s increasingly dominant nation: Germany. Bible prophecy indicates that advanced technologies like AI will be weaponized.

Sudan recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia on Tuesday, claiming that four drone strikes on its borders, including an attack on the Khartoum airport, originated in Ethiopia. In the past, Ethiopia has allowed the Rapid Support Forces (rsf), a Sudanese rebel group, to train and launch attacks from within its borders. This comes only a few months after Sudan recalled its ambassador to Kenya after Kenya allowed rsf rebels to host meetings to establish a rival Sudanese government. Not only have events like these stoked fears that Sudan’s civil war and Ethiopia’s tensions could spread across international borders, but they are part of a wider trend that could jeopardize the relative stability of the entire Red Sea region and contribute to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

At least 23 passengers from the hantavirus-infected MV Hondius left the cruise ship in late April and returned home to Australia, England, the Netherlands, Taiwan and the United States without knowing they might have been exposed to hantavirus, which can kill 40 percent of those infected. Three people have died so far, one remains critically ill in intensive care in South Africa, and others have milder symptoms. Health officials are trying to contact everyone who disembarked the ship. Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew 24 that plagues would be among the dire signs that precede His Second Coming.

Former President Barack Obama has increased his frequency of public statements over the past several months, claiming that Trump divided the country after the killing of Charlie Kirk, characterizing comments on autism as “violence against the truth,” and saying that Republicans would rather shut down the government than give people health care. Many Democrats welcome his rhetoric as the party lacks a clear leader two years into Trump’s second term. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry identified Obama as the power that fundamentally transformed the United States during his presidency and usurped the presidency itself through Joe Biden. He also wrote in the September 2024 Trumpet issue that God “is beginning to silence this man! Barack Obama’s power is diminishing before our eyes.” Obama’s reemergence only highlights the fact that he no longer wields the same influence over the “deep state” and American culture and politics.

Russian military forces carried out devastating aerial attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets yesterday, claiming the lives of at least 27 people and wounding more than 70 others. The strikes, concentrated on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, used missiles, drones and glide bombs. Residential buildings and a vehicle repair shop were among the locations struck. “This was an absolutely cynical terrorist strike, with no military justification whatsoever,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media. The attacks come just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call with United States President Donald Trump, proposing a ceasefire from May 8-9 that would coincide with Russia’s Victory Day observances. Zelenskyy responded to Putin’s proposal with calls instead for an open-ended ceasefire. Yesterday’s catastrophic attacks appear to be Putin’s answer.

The world’s largest contemporary art exhibition, Venice Biennale, allowed Russia to open a pavilion on Tuesday after years of banning the nation for its “grievous” war on Ukraine. More than 50 protesters demonstrated at the Russian exhibit today, performing songs, waving Ukrainian flags and setting off smoke bombs. “This pavilion stands on Ukrainian mass graves,” activist Inna Shevchenko said. “We are here to remind that the only Russian culture, the only Russian art today, is blood.” But the Russian exhibit continues to operate, reflecting a gradual rehabilitation of the country’s reputation.